A/N: I'm back!

The farther I flew the angrier I became. Robin was doing the pushing away of us, and even though he claimed it was for all the right reasons it did not change the fact that he would rather work alone than trust us to assist him. Once, he had complained of his mentor giving him the same treatment. I knew if I made the comparison he would site many reasons why these circumstances were different, but they were not.

I flew us away from the city and into the mountains where I knew no one would be able to see or follow us. Robin looked down to find a purchase for his landing, but before he could let go of my hand, I slung him sideways through the air so that he hit the ground in a graceless heap. I was rewarded by the harsh gust of the air being knocked from his lungs. The distance had been less than fifteen feet, so I did not worry overmuch that he would injure himself. Acrobats are trained fallers.

"Starfire, wh-what was that for?" He sat up slowly, sucking air into his lungs, I hovered before him, my hands on my hips and a scowl on my face.

"I believe you owe me the explanation."

He just sat staring at me in silence for a long while. It bothered me to not be able to read his face.

"Take it off."

"Excuse me?" His head arced back in a show of surprise. I pointed.

"I wish to see your face."

"Oh. Sorry Star. I can't. I left my mask at home."

Odd as it may sound, it was the first time I had ever wondered to see what his face looked like beneath the mask. Just as I had never known Cyborg as anything other than a hybrid of man and machine or Beast Boy as an overly hairy human with green skin, Robin had always been a young man with black hair that stood up in all directions and wore a black mask. To know that if I removed the Red X more I would see a stranger's face made me very curious. The distance between us was not so great, and it would be no trouble to simply remove the mask by force.

"Don't even think about it," he warned. It only served to remind me of how unfair it was that he could see me clearly while I had no way of reading his emotions.

"How did your uniform end up on that body?"

He tensed, surprised that I would begin my questions right away.

"I put it there. Harley's men jumped some poor college kid outside a parking lot. I..." He gave an audible gulp. "I saw a resemblance. He was my height, close enough to my build, and after what they'd done to him he was unrecognizable. By the time I found him he was already dead. With everything going to hell like it is everyone would assume it was someone else that did it. Harley and Joker get their followers from the insane asylum. How would she know if one of them went too far and didn't tell her about it? With all the drugs they pump into them at Arkham it's amazing they have enough brain functioning power to pull a trigger, much less take over a city."

"Why do it? Why make us worry?"

"To give the Titans a break. I knew it wouldn't fool Harley, but it had Jump City running scared. Our criminals thought you guys were out for blood and they gave up easier than before. Besides, Harley had to take time to find out if it was true, which opened up a perfect opportunity for Red X to slip in." He was trying not to sound pleased with the thoroughness of his plan. "Red X has a reputation on the streets for giving the Titans the slip, for getting in and out of places no one else would dare steal from and getting away with it every time. When I offered to find out if Robin's death was a fake her lieutenants were more than happy to let me help." He did sound pleased now. He crossed his ankles and wrapped his arms around his knees, rocking back and forth.

"And what will you tell them?"

"That Robin's headed back to Gotham because he needs Batman's help. It's what she wants to hear. Now that they've destroyed the Tower and the R-cycle they'll believe that I need help restocking my arsenal."

"It seems you have thought of everything," I said grudgingly. "Except for us. You have said in the past how much you wish the Batman had not pushed you away to protect you and yet that is the first thing you do whenk there is trouble."

"It's not-"

"It is exactly the same, you simply do not wish to see it." We were quiet for a long time. He turned his head and muttered angrily under his breath.

"What do you want me to say? I've already apologized."

"I want you to trust me. Us."

"I do! How many times do I have to say it?" He sprang to his feet and began pacing.

"Take me to where you are staying." I did not know I would say it until the words left my mouth. It surprised both of us. His arms relaxed and he made to ruffle his hair again only to let his hand fall uselessly back to his side.

"You want to come back with me? Why?"

"This is the trust I need. I want to know where you go. The Titans have the houses of safety. Why can you not use ours and we can know you are unharmed. I wish to see why you feel more secure apart from us." He wanted to argue. It charged the air between us, but he recognized the trap I had laid for him. To refuse meant he did not trust me with his secret. He sighed.

"Fine."

My communicator buzzed. It was Raven.

"Where are you? I cannot sense either of you in the city."

"We are returning to Jump presently. I will rejoin the Titans when I am finished here." Raven narrowed her eyes, but shrugged.

"Ok. Make sure he knows he's an idiot before you forgive him."

"I can hear you, you know," Robin complained, coming to stand beside me so Raven could see him too. She lifted an eyebrow with complete indifference.

Red X seemed a little uncertain as he reached to take my hand for the flight back. I could not guess whether it was reluctance to show me where he lived or wariness at allowing me to take him into the air again after I threw him, but either way it stung. I did my best not to show it, but Robin has always been able to read me better than most.

"On the south end of town is a place called the Lunar Motel. It has a green sign. You should be able to see it from the air. I'm in room G-17." His voice was heavy with some deep emotion I could not fathom. I did not bother to look at him to try to understand. Once again it was necessary to fly quickly to avoid being seen. It would be particularly bad for his undercover operation if Red X was seen flying with Starfire over the city. Fortunately he was right and I could see the sign from the air.

"Circle around. I'll meet you by the alley," Robin said. It surprised me when his hands were simply no longer in mine. For a moment I thought he had simply let go, but he had managed to activate his teleportation device. I did as I was told, not slowing my pace at all. Landing a block away, I found myself anxious as I walked the short distance to the motel. It is not easy to go unnoticed when you are a six-foot tall female with red hair that brushes the back of your thighs wearing a tight-fitting purple miniature skirt. Surprisingly, Red X's hideout was not in the safest area of town. As I strode past concrete buildings I heard whistles from the dark windows.

"Hey legs, where are you going in such a hurry?"

"You lost sugar, let me take you home!"

"Mmm, it must be my lucky day." The last was spoken by a man in the white garment reserved for the beating of wives as he leaned on a rusty chain-link fence that surrounded the housing complex where he stood. His eyes had a yellowish cast to them and gray stubble poked through the skin of his chin. As I approached, he opened the gate and stepped into my path, dragging his eyes slowly up and down my form. He did not trouble himself to raise his gaze higher than my collarbone. Disgust welled up in me as his tongue swept across his upper lip in a lewd expression of his desire.

"You would be wise to step aside," I said softly, glancing around to make sure the street was quite empty. He held out his arms in open invitation.

"No need to be scared, baby. Let a real man show you what you've been missing." He reached to put an arm around my waist. Before his dirty fingertips could touch my skin I had his wrist twisted at a sharp angle. It wasn't broken, but I need only flick my fingers to break it. He yowled like a feline, squirming to break free. I watched him impassively as he struggled.

"Your attentions are unwelcome," I said finally. I released him and he lurched back, clutching his hand. The look he shot me was full of venom, and had I been a human female I might have feared for my safety. As it was, when he swung his free hand in a heavy backhand toward my face, I merely caught his arm, spun him around, and planted the toe of my boot on his calf to force him to his knees.

"I do not have the time to waste dealing with you. Yield now, or I will have no choice but to incapacitate you." It surprised me that Red X had not come to find me yet. Robin was usually quick to find me when we were separated in unfamiliar terrain. Surely he was aware of the human dregs that inhabited this corner of the city.

The man proceeded to sling a bitter string of curses at my feet, but as they meant little to me I released him once more and continued on my way. He did not come after me again. As I passed the shadowed alley between two buildings I heard a slow clap.

"You're too nice, cutie," said Red X. I could hear the pride in his voice. Much as I pretended to be indifferent to it, the small endearment sent a private thrill through me. I knew it was part of the persona he created, but Robin seldom complimented me on my appearance and it was nice to hear that he found me appealing enough to label me as such.

"You did not assist me?"

Robin would have. Robin would have intervened the moment the man first dragged his eyes over me with such obvious intent. He would certainly have never given the man an opening where he would lay his hands upon me. On Tamaran such an offense is punishable by death, and while I eagerly embrace my friends with hugs of great exuberance, I am uncomfortable with the casual physical exchanges expressed between humans. That this man attempted to place his fingers on the skin of my navel sent a shudder through me as if swarming beetles crawled over my flesh.

"It wasn't easy," said Red X quietly, "but you had things under control. Besides, Red X isn't exactly one of the good guys."

He unfolded himself from the shadows and stepped toward me.

"Come on, I have to take you through the back way," he said, reminding me of why we were there.

To my displeasure he led me to a hole in the ground. The metal cover was shifted to one side, explaining in part what had taken him so long to reach me. I went first so he could slide the manhole cover back into place. My eyes emitted a soft green glow that we could see by. He chuckled.

"What I wouldn't give to be Tamaranean sometimes."

Though the tunnel we were in reeked of sewer, a second tunnel veered off to the left that Red X guided me down. Soon the pipe sloped up until we were at a second entrance. Red X nodded that I could continue and I lifted the thick metal with ease to find myself in an underground chamber. An L-shaped desk held three large computer monitors. More screens stood at intervals around the room almost as large as the wall. There were several profiles pulled up on the screens, presumably from criminals he intended to track down. It was an impressive workroom, bigger than the one back at the tower. Against a far wall stood a mannequin dressed in his Robin uniform. Several drawers were open revealing extra birdarangs and smoke pellets. I gazed around in stunned surprise.

"I should get my mask. Feel free to have a look around." He skirted the room, keeping a wide distance between us. The enormity of his offer to look around was not lost on me. Strange as it was, I found I could not poke through his things. When he returned I was still where I had been when he left.

The Red X uniform was gone, but he did not wear his Robin uniform either. He returned bare-chested and dressed in dark blue sweatpants. My eyes strayed over his muscular chest before I caught myself and blushing looked away.

"Sorry, I didn't have anything else."

"This command station is better the one you had in the Tower. Why not use this one?"

"You wouldn't believe how easy it is to lose myself down here. This place is a last resort."

"Why didn't you tell us about this place?"

He ducked his head.

"This place holds memories about my past life, before Robin, before Batman. When I first picked it I thought it would be a good idea to honor...my past." This was harder for him than I expected, but at least I knew why. This place tied him to his past in some way, a past that held sorrow and joy in equal parts. The Titans never spoke of what came before. If they knew what I had endured... Suddenly I felt the guilt for insisting that he bring me here.

"I am glad to know you have a place of safety. I did not mean to intrude." I moved back toward the iron circle on the floor.

"You don't have to go. Stay. At least until I have to leave to meet Harley's man. It's nice to have company." A faint blush colored his cheeks.

"The others will be wondering where I am."

"Don't go yet, Star. I missed you." The last words were so quiet I might not have known he spoke but for the movement of his lips.

"How long until you must go?" I asked shyly. He glanced at a digital clock on his desk.

"An hour."

"Very well, I will stay, but-"

At that moment new screen popped up on every computer screen in the room. Harley Quinn's face grinned at us from all sides as she blew s a kiss. I ignited my starbolts instinctively.

"She cannot see us?"

"No, it's a recording," said Robin, typing feverishly on the keyboard. "The question is how did she tap into this server?"

"Hiyah Robin. Nice try fakin' your own death an' all, but you gotta do better than that to pull the wool over Mr. J's eyes. We know you're out there and we're coming for you. The big day's almost here. Are you excited yet, cause I am!"

"Don't worry, Harley," said an entirely new voice. Robin froze. A new face pushed Harley's out of the way and though I knew he couldn't see us I leaned away from him. His face was bleached of all color. He wore his hair slicked back from his face. But it was his smile that disturbed me. His smile stretched impossibly wide on his narrow, pointed face.

"I'm sure Robin's just dying to see what's up my sleeve. In fact, I expect we'll be seeing him very soon." He threw back his head and laughed a high, insane-sounding noise. Chills ran under my skin, and I was grateful when Robin muted the feed. It cut out a moment later, taking his hideous clow face with it.

"Joker," Robin growled.